I love my new job at the tack shop! I've been so busy there. I'm actually getting paid more than she originally told me (long story). I also found out we can buy stuff there at cost, so I basically get a 50% discount. I went out for drinks with one of the girls, Shama, that I'm working with. She talks a LOT, and while she's very nice and very cool and I'd like to hang out with her again, I couldn't help but feel somewhat exhausted after we went out, lol. Shama called one of her trainers to see if she had a horse I could ride (it's amazing the number of trainers here that don't have lesson horses), and she just called me to let me know that her trainer does have a horse I can ride a couple times a week! Geez... I'm getting even busier. The only bad thing is, I don't know if I can afford lessons right now, especially with me taking trips to go up to Omaha. Maybe after the 1st of the year.
My other new job is going really well, too. I've been pretty busy there the past week, too.
I decorated my apartment with Christmas decorations, and it looks pretty good! :) I'll be coming to Omaha in a couple of weeks... I'm not sure what days, but I'm thinking maybe the 24th-29th. I'd like to not come back on Sunday so I can possibly miss the worst of the traffic. Bleh.
I went on a group ride Sunday. We did 35 miles at about a 17-18 MPH average with a few big hills and a significant headwind on the way back. Chuck pulled up a biggish hill, and I thought I was going to die, but I couldn't let go of his wheel... not in that wind! They did eventually drop me on another hill, but they waited for me and another group that was behind me a ways. A couple of new guys joined us. One of them was having issues keeping up, and I felt bad for him. I know what it's like to be the person always trailing behind--hell, it's usually me! Scott thinks he may have got his heart rate up too much, and couldn't recover from it. Poor guy. Chuck has been impressed with my riding improvement. I guess I have gotten faster. I just need to work on my stamina now. These 35-mile rides will help, but I need to get in with more groups. The only bad thing is I now work Saturdays, which is great for keeping busy, but not so good for the riding effort. :(
Oh, and I changed my own headlight, which was, incidentally, a big pain in the ass! Maybe it wouldn't have been for a guy, but I couldn't figure out how to get the bulb out one-handed in addition to not being able to see what I was doing. I was seriously about to cry, not having any close guy friends that I could turn to, haha (I'm sure I would have eventually been able to find someone to help me if I had needed it, but for a few moments there I was feeling pretty helpless). I finally found an area underneath that I could get both hands in, and got it done. ;)
Monday, December 8, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
New tack shop job
Yay! :) I'm not being paid much, but I'm busy and it's a fun job. She's overstaffed, but I guess that isn't really my problem to worry about--maybe when I have my own shop. ;) It's a bigger shop than the one I worked at in Omaha, and not as "cozy" (the one in Omaha was small and stuff was crammed into every corner... and I loved it!), but it's awesome to have a busy life again. I'm riding a lot, working two jobs, going out with friends, I have my doggy to take care of, and I'm coming to Omaha again in a few weeks. Weee... :)
I went on a solo ride on Wednesday afternoon. It was so nice out, about 75 degrees. I was able to ride in just shorts and a short-sleeved jersey! Oh, and I bought new shoes. I'm turning into that girl. You know--that girl that has lots of shoes. :( I always prided myself on having a relatively empty closet, but I bought my first pair of good heels about a year ago, and realized that if I spend money on GOOD shoes rather than cheap shoes, my feet won't blister. ;) However, I got these on sale at Amazon for about 60% off. I really shouldn't be spending any money at all, but I really needed some shoes after Jaiden chewed mine to pieces. A Christmas present to myself, hehe.
I went on a solo ride on Wednesday afternoon. It was so nice out, about 75 degrees. I was able to ride in just shorts and a short-sleeved jersey! Oh, and I bought new shoes. I'm turning into that girl. You know--that girl that has lots of shoes. :( I always prided myself on having a relatively empty closet, but I bought my first pair of good heels about a year ago, and realized that if I spend money on GOOD shoes rather than cheap shoes, my feet won't blister. ;) However, I got these on sale at Amazon for about 60% off. I really shouldn't be spending any money at all, but I really needed some shoes after Jaiden chewed mine to pieces. A Christmas present to myself, hehe.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Have to get this off my chest, too...
I still have moments where I think about the crap that my ex said when we broke up, and I can't help but harbor a lot of resentment. Some days, I'm happily single and I don't care that we broke up. Other days I'm just so frustrated and hurt about it all, and I obsess about what he said. Today was one of those days. He made me feel like crap about myself, and it's days like today that I wish I could just shut that door forever and forget everything. I know I'm closer to doing that, and most days I really don't care anymore, but for today, I can't let go of the bitterness. Tomorrow will be a better day.
My trip to Omaha
I seriously hate the drive to/from Omaha. It's boring from Nebraska to Oklahoma, and once you get into Texas, the traffic is ridiculous. At one point, I ran into a construction area, and it took an hour to go five miles. Talk about road rage...
I had a blast in Omaha. I didn't get more than six hours of sleep each night (made for a not-so-fun drive back home). The dogs were so good, too! I was really worried, especially when Brody got more excited than usual--and Brody's normal level of excitement would give another dog a heart attack. But they eventually settled down. Jaiden actually didn't really seem to care much about Brody until Brody decided he wanted to play... Jaiden did his usual leap and bound trick, and Brody thought twice about playing with Jaiden after that. ;)
My brother changed out my rotors while I was down there. I was complaining about how the wheel vibrated anytime I applied the brakes, and he took it upon himself to fix it! :) Thanks, Timmy. :D
I took my bike down and did an indoor group ride on a trainer. It was nice to see everybody. My ex that works at the bike shop told me that they might start selling Kuota bikes--what the heck?! I nearly got one last year, but they talked me into getting a Felt instead. Arrrgh. Wonder if my 25% discount still applies... ;) Oh, and he also told me I still look good in cycling shorts. Zac, not sure if you read my blog, but I love you. Lol.
I went out to Crescent Moon Saturday night with Becky, Eric, Tennille, some of Becky's friends, and some of Tennille's friends. My parents even showed up to drink out of the boot! ;) One of Tennille's friends bought a few of us some shots... that pushed me over the "really drunk" edge. I was hurting in the morning, and it made for a looooong drive. It was worth it though. I had a lot of fun. Except for the falling incident... all the roads froze over while we were inside getting drunk, and I fell flat on my ass outside the bar. Of course, I thought it was just hilarious. ;) I screwed up another one of my fingers, though. Sigh.
I went on a short ride tonight, and nearly got run into. I really should get a stronger light... they're just so freaking expensive. I may be getting a part-time job at a local tack shop (yay!!!), so I should be able to get all this extra crap that I so desperately need. :)
I had a blast in Omaha. I didn't get more than six hours of sleep each night (made for a not-so-fun drive back home). The dogs were so good, too! I was really worried, especially when Brody got more excited than usual--and Brody's normal level of excitement would give another dog a heart attack. But they eventually settled down. Jaiden actually didn't really seem to care much about Brody until Brody decided he wanted to play... Jaiden did his usual leap and bound trick, and Brody thought twice about playing with Jaiden after that. ;)
My brother changed out my rotors while I was down there. I was complaining about how the wheel vibrated anytime I applied the brakes, and he took it upon himself to fix it! :) Thanks, Timmy. :D
I took my bike down and did an indoor group ride on a trainer. It was nice to see everybody. My ex that works at the bike shop told me that they might start selling Kuota bikes--what the heck?! I nearly got one last year, but they talked me into getting a Felt instead. Arrrgh. Wonder if my 25% discount still applies... ;) Oh, and he also told me I still look good in cycling shorts. Zac, not sure if you read my blog, but I love you. Lol.
I went out to Crescent Moon Saturday night with Becky, Eric, Tennille, some of Becky's friends, and some of Tennille's friends. My parents even showed up to drink out of the boot! ;) One of Tennille's friends bought a few of us some shots... that pushed me over the "really drunk" edge. I was hurting in the morning, and it made for a looooong drive. It was worth it though. I had a lot of fun. Except for the falling incident... all the roads froze over while we were inside getting drunk, and I fell flat on my ass outside the bar. Of course, I thought it was just hilarious. ;) I screwed up another one of my fingers, though. Sigh.
I went on a short ride tonight, and nearly got run into. I really should get a stronger light... they're just so freaking expensive. I may be getting a part-time job at a local tack shop (yay!!!), so I should be able to get all this extra crap that I so desperately need. :)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Awesome ride!
Ok, first of all... I saw Lance Armstrong training! I was driving to the ride, and I looked over and saw a cyclist wearing a Livestrong kit (it looked something like that, but I thought I saw a yellow star on the sleeve...). I kind of wondered who it was... and I looked in my rearview mirror, and saw a black SUV following behind with flashing lights (you'll see this a lot with pro cyclists when they're training). When I got to the ride, Chuck told me that it was indeed Lance Armstrong--another guy actually got a close look at him, and recognized him.
I did a group ride this afternoon. We started out at a pretty aggressive pace for about five-eight miles or so, and then Chuck got a flat. It ripped a pretty big hole through his tire, so he and another guy, Scott, went back to replace it. After that the pace became somewhat reasonable, haha. For the most part, I was able to stick with the group. I got dropped on some hills, but they slowed down to let me catch up, heh. After 15 miles or so, we turned down some county road, and did a bunch of hills. At the end of that road, we all stopped to turn around, and the other girl on our ride rode back a ways for a "natural break". I stayed with the guys, and after a minute, one of them goes, "April, we need a piss break, so you gotta go that way." LOL.
At one point after we turned around, we were all together, and I got dropped on a hill. The guys kept going, and the other girl in the group was a ways ahead of me. After the hill, I got into the drops and actually started closing the gap. I eventually caught up at a light. We went down a longish hill, and I dropped the other girl on the ride. She teaches spin classes, and she's relatively strong, so I figured she'd catch up with me and drop me after we began a long climb. But she didn't catch up. I looked back at the top of the hill, and she was still only halfway or so. She never did catch back up, which was weird. I don't know, maybe she had a long ride yesterday and was tired or something. ;) Either way, I was really proud of how strong I rode. At one point, I passed Chuck, who was putting a jacket on. He caught back up a couple minutes later and goes, "Man, you're riding really strong!" :D We ended up with around 35 miles, and I had an average speed of 16, which is pretty damn awesome considering I rode alone for a good 10-12 miles into a headwind after we turned around.
I went out for lunch with Amber... maybe that had something to with it, lol.
Seriously, what is it with me and my fingers this month?! I was taking Jaiden on a walk, and he spotted a little dog coming our way. No big deal, I just gathered his leash in tighter (he's obsessed with the little guys). Out of nowhere, he gives a hard TUG on the leash just as the dog is passing, and it rips right over my thumbnail, bending it backwards 1/4 inch. Good lord it hurt. It started bleeding right away, and I couldn't do anything about it. Jaiden was a good boy on the way back, lol. My right index finger is still swollen/painful/numb (how it can be numb and painful at the same time is a neat trick) from my tree adventure. My left thumb finally healed up from the dog fight, but it's now angry again from the dog walk. Argh.
I did a group ride this afternoon. We started out at a pretty aggressive pace for about five-eight miles or so, and then Chuck got a flat. It ripped a pretty big hole through his tire, so he and another guy, Scott, went back to replace it. After that the pace became somewhat reasonable, haha. For the most part, I was able to stick with the group. I got dropped on some hills, but they slowed down to let me catch up, heh. After 15 miles or so, we turned down some county road, and did a bunch of hills. At the end of that road, we all stopped to turn around, and the other girl on our ride rode back a ways for a "natural break". I stayed with the guys, and after a minute, one of them goes, "April, we need a piss break, so you gotta go that way." LOL.
At one point after we turned around, we were all together, and I got dropped on a hill. The guys kept going, and the other girl in the group was a ways ahead of me. After the hill, I got into the drops and actually started closing the gap. I eventually caught up at a light. We went down a longish hill, and I dropped the other girl on the ride. She teaches spin classes, and she's relatively strong, so I figured she'd catch up with me and drop me after we began a long climb. But she didn't catch up. I looked back at the top of the hill, and she was still only halfway or so. She never did catch back up, which was weird. I don't know, maybe she had a long ride yesterday and was tired or something. ;) Either way, I was really proud of how strong I rode. At one point, I passed Chuck, who was putting a jacket on. He caught back up a couple minutes later and goes, "Man, you're riding really strong!" :D We ended up with around 35 miles, and I had an average speed of 16, which is pretty damn awesome considering I rode alone for a good 10-12 miles into a headwind after we turned around.
I went out for lunch with Amber... maybe that had something to with it, lol.
Seriously, what is it with me and my fingers this month?! I was taking Jaiden on a walk, and he spotted a little dog coming our way. No big deal, I just gathered his leash in tighter (he's obsessed with the little guys). Out of nowhere, he gives a hard TUG on the leash just as the dog is passing, and it rips right over my thumbnail, bending it backwards 1/4 inch. Good lord it hurt. It started bleeding right away, and I couldn't do anything about it. Jaiden was a good boy on the way back, lol. My right index finger is still swollen/painful/numb (how it can be numb and painful at the same time is a neat trick) from my tree adventure. My left thumb finally healed up from the dog fight, but it's now angry again from the dog walk. Argh.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Ouch
I don't think I've ever bruised the tip of a finger before. Lemme tell ya... it's painful. My right index finger is screwed up. The tip is swollen and bruised on the "pad", and I have a painful cut near the fingernail. And guess how I did it.
I ran into a tree on last night's nighttime mountain bike ride. :D
My friend Chuck gave me an extra light, and it helped. My own light is actually more powerful than I originally gave it credit for. I was able to see somewhat well, but once we started going fast or down obstacles, I had to slow down. And those stupid trees. I hate it when they space them so close together--it really screws me up. So after I ran into the tree, Chuck told me to stop looking at the obstacles, and look where I want to go--otherwise I'll run right into whatever I'm looking at, lol. I fell a lot (and cursed a lot), but didn't really get hurt because my mountain bike doesn't have clipless pedals. I do have a lot of bruises on my legs, though. It was cold outside, but I was dressed perfectly, so it didn't bother me. It was so much fun. I did pretty well considering I haven't been on a mountain bike trail since last August or so, and did this trail, which I've never done before, at night.
We went to Red Robin afterwards (I didn't eat, just went to socialize) and talked bikes. ;)
I just pulled a piece of tree out from under my fingernail! Last night, I thought it was just dried blood, so I didn't do anything with it. But today, I knew it was something else, so I took a staple and wedged it underneath the thing. Good lord, that hurt. But it moved, so I figured I had to get it out of there or it would get infected. I was able to remove it just as a motherly type came into the bathroom, and directed me to the first aid kit, lol.
I've had to shake a few peoples' hands today, and I feel odd because I have to stick my index finger out to avoid it getting smashed, heh.
I ran into a tree on last night's nighttime mountain bike ride. :D
My friend Chuck gave me an extra light, and it helped. My own light is actually more powerful than I originally gave it credit for. I was able to see somewhat well, but once we started going fast or down obstacles, I had to slow down. And those stupid trees. I hate it when they space them so close together--it really screws me up. So after I ran into the tree, Chuck told me to stop looking at the obstacles, and look where I want to go--otherwise I'll run right into whatever I'm looking at, lol. I fell a lot (and cursed a lot), but didn't really get hurt because my mountain bike doesn't have clipless pedals. I do have a lot of bruises on my legs, though. It was cold outside, but I was dressed perfectly, so it didn't bother me. It was so much fun. I did pretty well considering I haven't been on a mountain bike trail since last August or so, and did this trail, which I've never done before, at night.
We went to Red Robin afterwards (I didn't eat, just went to socialize) and talked bikes. ;)
I just pulled a piece of tree out from under my fingernail! Last night, I thought it was just dried blood, so I didn't do anything with it. But today, I knew it was something else, so I took a staple and wedged it underneath the thing. Good lord, that hurt. But it moved, so I figured I had to get it out of there or it would get infected. I was able to remove it just as a motherly type came into the bathroom, and directed me to the first aid kit, lol.
I've had to shake a few peoples' hands today, and I feel odd because I have to stick my index finger out to avoid it getting smashed, heh.
First day at work :)
My last day at the old company was on Tuesday. Pretty anti-climatic. I don't like good-byes, so I just said, "I'll see you all on IM!" Heh.
I had a really good first day at work! :) The company is reminiscent of Medical Solutions, the last place I worked at in Omaha (or at least the Medical Solutions that I knew when I started). They're very cognizant of employees' needs, and they do what they can to keep their employees happy. The building we're in is an old gym, and they kept several of the aspects of the gym. On one side of the building, there's a rock climbing wall and a basketball court. On the other side is a full weight training area with cardio machines (including bikes!). The bathrooms also still have the lockers, mirrors for women that need to freshen up ;), and SHOWERS! That'll be useful when I start commuting by bike. They stock really good coffee--not that I drink it, but I might, lol--and they have two ovens (yes, ovens) and microwaves. OH. And they have a beach house in Port Aransas... which I can never pronounce correctly, because my brain is backwards or something... and it's FREE to use for all employees! I am so taking advantage of that, as I still haven't been to the beach.
I also had a beer at work on my first day, lol. Apparently, last week, the entire company went out to some camp or something for a team building exercise, and they had a bunch of leftover food and drinks. My boss (who seems very nice and laid back, by the way) had a margarita, heh.
I can't spend Thanksgiving alone--I'd be miserable here. So, I'm coming up to Omaha! :) I told my new boss about my Thanksgiving plans, and he said I could leave early on Wednesday if I wanted. So, I'll probably try to leave around noon or 1:00. That'll put me in Omaha between midnight and two in the morning on Thursday (yuck). Ugh, that makes me think of my first night in Austin, when we got into town at 3 in the morning or whatever, and Jaiden spent the whole night attacking his kennel because of the cats. I don't think it'll be that bad with Mom and Dad's dogs, though. It still makes me nervous, especially with the recent fight.
I had a really good first day at work! :) The company is reminiscent of Medical Solutions, the last place I worked at in Omaha (or at least the Medical Solutions that I knew when I started). They're very cognizant of employees' needs, and they do what they can to keep their employees happy. The building we're in is an old gym, and they kept several of the aspects of the gym. On one side of the building, there's a rock climbing wall and a basketball court. On the other side is a full weight training area with cardio machines (including bikes!). The bathrooms also still have the lockers, mirrors for women that need to freshen up ;), and SHOWERS! That'll be useful when I start commuting by bike. They stock really good coffee--not that I drink it, but I might, lol--and they have two ovens (yes, ovens) and microwaves. OH. And they have a beach house in Port Aransas... which I can never pronounce correctly, because my brain is backwards or something... and it's FREE to use for all employees! I am so taking advantage of that, as I still haven't been to the beach.
I also had a beer at work on my first day, lol. Apparently, last week, the entire company went out to some camp or something for a team building exercise, and they had a bunch of leftover food and drinks. My boss (who seems very nice and laid back, by the way) had a margarita, heh.
I can't spend Thanksgiving alone--I'd be miserable here. So, I'm coming up to Omaha! :) I told my new boss about my Thanksgiving plans, and he said I could leave early on Wednesday if I wanted. So, I'll probably try to leave around noon or 1:00. That'll put me in Omaha between midnight and two in the morning on Thursday (yuck). Ugh, that makes me think of my first night in Austin, when we got into town at 3 in the morning or whatever, and Jaiden spent the whole night attacking his kennel because of the cats. I don't think it'll be that bad with Mom and Dad's dogs, though. It still makes me nervous, especially with the recent fight.
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